Groitzsch () is a town in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany. Geography and transport The town is situated at the southern edge of the Leipzig Bay east of the White Elster river on the confluence of Schwennigke and Schnauder rivers, 20 km northeast of Zeitz, and 25 km southwest of Leipzig. A transition to the Central German low mountain ranges is notable in several elevated places within the municipal boundaries. Bundesstraße B176 passes through Groitzsch itself, and Bundesstraße 2 traverses the subdistricts Kobschütz and Audigast. The latter leads to a junction with new Bundesautobahn 38 about 15 km northeast of the town. The nearest railway station is in Pegau on the Leipzig–Probstzella railway. Public transport is provided by buses of Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund with direct services to Pegau, Zwenkau, Leipzig, Neukieritzsch, Böhlen, and Altenburg. The nearest international airport is Flughafen Leipzig/Halle. History The original Sorbian name was Groisca. The oldest archaeological finds in the town district date from approximately 4000 BC. The area was comparatively densely populated in prehistoric times, and after the migration of Germanic tribes, Slavic peoples, referred to as Sorbs, migrated into the region after in the 7th century. Based on the continuity of pre-Slavic place names, it is likely that Thuringian settlements remained until the 8th or 9th century. During the Ostsiedlung of the early Middle Ages, the population mixed with settlers from Thuringia and Franconia. In the history of the town traces of Jewish life are also found. The town was first mentioned in 1039 in the famous Pegauer Annals as a settlement next to an early medieval castle. This was one of the principal fortifies places in the region in the 11th and 12th century and is the location of some of the earliest known stone buildings in Saxony. In 1070 count Wiprecht exchanged his inherited estate in Balsamgau for the lordship of Groitzsch. He was a supporter of emperors Heinrich IV and Heinrich V, but opposed the latter in 1113, for which he was imprisoned until 1117. After restoration of his estate he was enfeoffed with the burgraviate of Magdeburg in 1118 and the margraviate of Meißen in 1123. The coat of arms of the town adopted in 1891, showing a silver horse armoured in gold walking on a red shield, has been designed after count Wiprecht's. In 1214 Groitzsch was awarded town privileges. The castle was destroyed in the wars descending upon